Ferbella?
by feeling-o'-stupidity
Summary: Ferb is dating Isabella? How is Phineas handling this? Does Isabella still feel the same way towards Phineas as he now does towards her? Will it end Ferbella? Or Phinabella?
1. The First Day

Chapter 1: The first day

Phineas was dreading today. Most kids dread the first day of school because of the work. But anyone who knew Phineas knew that wasn't his problem. They would think it was because he wouldn't have time to build his amazing creations but again they would be wrong.

Phineas was scared because today he was going to see Isabella again.

Isabella had been away for a month in Mexico visiting relatives and normally most people, including Phineas, would think he would be extremely excited to see his best friend (beside Ferb) again. But today, on the first day of 10th grade, was not the day he wanted to hear her say

"Whatcha doin'?"

Phineas nearly fell over but he quickly collected himself put on his trademark optimistic smile

"Man I've missed hearing that." he said and gave Isabella the quickest hug he ever had and answered "Nothing much just moving in to my new locker."

"Well look at this beautiful lady right here." said Ferb as he walked up to Isabella and they shared a quick kiss to say hello

"Well if it isn't Dinner Bell and Ferbella, whats up guys" said Buford walking up to the three of them

"Ferbella?" asked Phineas, Ferb, and Isabella all at once. The only difference was Isabella sounded like she was daydreaming a wonderful dream, Phineas sounded like he was heartbroken, and Ferb asked in a way that had resembled someone asking "_Really?_" Luckily for Phineas they merged into a true question and his disappointment was covered up

"Yea like Brangelina except the only reason anyone cares is because yous guys know me" Buford said pointing to himself, while they were liked by everyone for being nice the kids who considered themselves popular knew Buford better because he was on the football team. Not they cared, Buford thought they would though.

"Yea around the school you're gonna be a famous celebrity couple" Phineas said to Ferb and Isabella, the word couple had made him want to gag and breath fire at the same time

"To think," Isabella said, "this all started at the end of the year dance in May."

Phineas remembered the dance, he'd been slapping himself over it for months


	2. The Dance

Chapter 2: The dance

Flashback

Phineas was in his room looking over some of the simple homework he had when Ferb walked in.

"Hey Ferb, what's up getting lonely in Candace's old room"

Candace had been gone for two years but to both brothers it would probably always be her room

"I wanted to ask you something about the dance on Friday."

"What's up?" Phineas figured his brother might have something planned because while Phineas explained most of their plans a majority of them had originated in Ferb's mind

"I was wondering what you would think if i told you I was going to ask Isabella to the dance. If your not cool with it I won't" Ferb said with the slightest hint of nervousness in his eye

"You mean like ask her to the dance in _that_ way?" Phineas asked a little bit confused

Ferb nodded

"You should go for it you guys will be the talk of the dance." Phineas said optimistically. If he could go back now he would punch himself in the face, and he wasn't one for violence, or self pitying for that matter.

The next day during whatever their project was Ferb pulled Isabella away and Phineas knew he had asked her she had a smile that told Phineas she said yes but her face was more anxious than excited as he had expected it to be

At the dance Ferb and Isabella stayed near each other for most of it except for one point when the guys and girls had separated to talk amongst themselves. Isabella was having a great time with Ferb, it was the first time she had ever been with him away from Phineas. And although she tried to help it she couldn't help but think about why she liked Phineas; he was smart, funny, creative, inventive, completely original, and completely oblivious.

And here she was on the dance floor with someone with all those qualities except he understood romantic feelings and was one of the best listeners she had ever met. She also had to admit he wasn't a bad dancer either and he was the ladies man he fancied himself to be.

She looked at Ferb differently now than she had before _"Aunt Isabella that means I'm going to marry Phineas" "Or Ferb"_

She snapped out of her thoughts to realize they were halfway through a slow song and she was pressed right up against Ferb. She blushed slightly and felt his hand on her chin _He's good_ she thought. They both leaned in and

Phineas was sitting by the bleachers with Buford and Baljeet and a couple other guys laughing and having some fun. Every now and then they would stare at a girl walking by in unison and about half the time one of them would whisper "Isn't that _'s sister?" which would end them gawking

At one point Baljeet who was usually very quiet stood up and said "Holy mackerel look at that!"

Everyone nearby turned and through the crowd of people and all the way across the gym was standing Ferb and Isabella, in each other's arms, kissing

Phineas felt happy for his brother and his best friend. He also felt nausea, sadness, and even anger, but those were tuned out by his happiness for these two people he loved, maybe if one of them wasn't his brother, who he would trust with his life, he might have gotten more worked up but at the moment he was happy for them. Another moment where Phineas wishes he could go back and punch himself


	3. Talking About It Parts 1 & 2

Chapter 3: Talking About It Parts 1 & 2

Phineas had been pretty down for the first week of school. Most people noticed because he was being really quiet, almost Ferb quiet, but they just dismissed as start of school blues and didn't bug him about it. The next Monday he was walking around on his free period when he saw Gretchen sitting on a bench looking about as depressed as he was feeling

"What's wrong?" Phineas asked as sympathetically as possible

Gretchen looked up at him and saw he too looked depressed and decided to ask "What's wrong with you?"

Phineas looked at her not really wanting to say it but smiled when he came up with a brilliant albeit cliche comeback "I asked you first."

Gretchen smiled "I don't know it just.."

"Try to some up the problem in one word" Phineas suggested

Gretchen looked thoughtfully at Phineas when she came up with her word "Ferbella... what about you?"

Phineas looked questioningly at her and then sighed "Same here." They looked at each other and understood each others problem.

"So," Gretchen said after awhile, "Who told you about Isabella's crush"

Phineas laughed a little

"Believe it or not I figured out about it by myself after all this time."

"When?"

Phineas' smile dropped "The night after the dance."

"Better late than never?" Gretchen said fairly unsure of the statement, but the look on Phineas' face showed he was sure never would have been a better option

"Normally I would talk to Ferb about all of this but for obvious reasons that wouldn't work" Phineas said finally

"I usually talk to Isabella for my guy troubles but that was out for the same obvious reasons." Gretchen said agreeingly. They looked at each other they weren't great friends but they were shocked at how well they were able to understand each other's predicament, usually only Ferb understood Phineas this well and only Isabella understood Gretchen. They were both relived to finally have somebody know what they were going through. "What solution has the great Phineas Flynn come up with for this?" Gretchen asked after a moment hopefully

Phineas smiled at being called the great Phineas Flynn and then Isabella and Ferb walked past holding hands and laughing "Those are the two people that I care the most about and while I really tried to think of something, I couldn't. Did you know I've known Ferb since I was four and I can't remember one time where he actually was happy enough to laugh out loud, sure he smiled or stifled a snort but still. Every plan I could think of involved one of them being hurt and that isn't what I want at all. If they're happy I'm happy."

"You don't look happy," Gretchen said after a pause and Phineas looked at her "But I suppose your right."

The bell rung Phineas got up "Well I gotta go, it was nice talking to you" Gretchen stood up also "Same here and same here." They left for their respective classrooms, they weren't positive but they were pretty sure they knew what they had to do today

* * *

><p>Back at home Phineas and Ferb were doing homework with the music on when Phineas turned off the music. Ferb looked at him.<p>

"Hey Ferb can I talk to you for a second?" Ferb closed his book, the work was simple enough he had finished in his head as the teacher read off the question numbers

"Its about Isabella?" Phineas started/asked "After the dance where you two got together I began thinking about Isabella and I realized I liked her and that she had had a crush on me too for as long as my memories went back" Ferb looked surprised but Phineas had learned to read his brother well enough to know he was only surprised at the second half of the sentence

"I know after I realized it even I was surprised I hadn't earlier, or that I did at all"

Ferb raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

"Ferb you know me better than to think I would do something," Phineas sighed "I'll just keep this crush and eventually I'll get over it and find someone the way Isabella did" Phineas said sounding depressed. Ferb, who had put a hand on Phineas's shoulder, went back to his bed and laid down staring at the ceiling

"She still loves you, yahknow" Ferb said after a short pause, it was Phineas's turn to be silent and raise an eyebrow

"I've always been the observant one," Ferb continues sounding a little sad "And me and Isabella do love and care for each other very much, but when she talks, how she looks when she sees you, I can tell even if she doesn't know it yet." Phineas looked shocked but Ferb continued "Plus I can't tell you how many times I was told how much I was like you with it being phrased as a compliment" Ferb finished with a small smile in spite of himself

"So..." Phineas said after a long awkward silence "I talked to Gretchen today. Did you know she's in the same position with Isabella as I am with you" Ferb raised an eyebrow and shook his head very little before returning to stare at the ceiling

* * *

><p>"So why are you telling me you like Ferb?" Isabella said into the phone to her best friend<p>

"I felt you should know we've never hidden anything before" Gretchen replied

"Well thank you for that, I think..." there was a long silence but they knew something more had to be said Gretchen decided she had to speak

"I had a nice talk with Phineas today, we actually talked about this whole situation"

"That must have helped," Isabella said sarcastically "Phineas is absolutely terrible at relationship stuff."

"That's what I thought at first but he was really understanding. He's in the same situation with Ferb as I am with you" Gretchen added after a pause

Isabella took this in for a moment but apparently Gretchen knew this and quickly said "I got to go talk to you later" and they hung up

Did Phineas really like her? She felt a little bad for him, she knew what it felt like to not be liked back by someone because she didn't like Phineas now, right?


	4. Decisions

Chapter 4: Decision Making

Phineas and Gretchen were talking before class, Phineas was surprised by how much like Isabella she was, she wasn't as popular being that she was a bit of a bookworm but Phineas didn't like all popularity he had acquired anyway anyway but otherwise she had the same sense of humor, likes, and dislikes as Isabella, it was no wonder the two of them were best friends. The bell rung and they had to go to their separate classes.

Gretchen was walking to her science class, a great place to avoid the drama that was coming with school now. She was just happy that she had Phineas to talk about it with. She had always known the brothers to be joined at the hip, and although they had their differences they were so similar, the only difference Gretchen could think of was that Phineas actually said exactly what was on his mind, as opposed to Ferb who was easy to understand but hard to get a response out of. She stopped her train of thought when she got to class, now she could think about important things.

Ferb was walking to lunch with his hand in Isabella's. He was thinking about her as usual but his thoughts were drifting to Gretchen. She had many of the same qualities he admired in Isabella, possibly a result or more likely a cause of her and Isabella's friendship. Isabella was slightly more popular at school but Gretchen really threw herself into her schoolwork, plus Isabella was at Phineas and his backyard during the past summers, something that ensured popularity as a result of his and Phineas's inventing. He figured Gretchen didn't show up as often to respect her friend's crush on Phineas at the time. It was actually quite good of her to do that, he wondered if Isabella would have done the same if in reversed positions, but they had reached the cafeteria so his thoughts were abruptly cut off by a growling stomach

Isabella was also thinking on her way to lunch with Ferb. She remembered the dance when she realized he was everything Phineas was and more, he could listen to her and understand her problems. Phineas was never as understanding or observant as Ferb. He also didn't have much of an attention span, he was almost childish in many ways. As she thought it she mentally corrected herself because she knew Phineas's child-like qualities were some of his best even if a bit tedious sometimes. But she had Ferb now so she shouldn't have to worry about it now. They had reached the lunchroom, she heard Ferb's belly rumble "Lets get some food in you before you go crazy" He shook his head in agreement and they went to a table

The quartet met up on their free period in the halls, they were talking and laughing nervously, they all could swear if they reached out they could literally fell the awkwardness in the air. After a prolonged silence Phineas decide to speak what everyone was feeling

"You know I couldn't help but notice how awkward all this is so I think everything has to be cleared up, plus I usually need thing explained so I want to make sure I understand this." Everyone looked at him, they had questioning faces but they all knew what he was referring to but they were sure he wasn't going to actually say it. He did.

"So I like Isabella, but I'm realizing Gretchen has her qualities, Gretchen likes Ferb, but she realizes that I share many of his traits, Ferb likes Isabella but is also starting to feel those same feelings for Gretchen, and Isabella used to like me, currently likes Ferb, and is starting to also like me, again... Did I miss anything?" Everyone slowly shook their heads in a no response, they all had a slight blush as a result of Phineas actually saying that "So," Phineas continued "It would appear the most likely things that will happen here, would be Ferb and Isabella stay together and at some point me and Gretchen go out, somehow, _OR_ Ferb and Isabella decide to break up just so that Ferb and Gretchen can go out and me and Isabella can go out." they all looked at him then at their respective crushes for a second, they had only every heard of the overly complex love quadrilateral. Isabella, who was next to Ferb, switched spots with Phineas who was next to Gretchen. The two girls looked at each other and the two guys looked at each other. None of them had any clue as to what they were going to do, but luckily the bell rung

"I guess it would be best to meet here tomorrow at the same time?" Ferb said questioningly, he didn't want his girlfriend to think he was considering both of Phineas's options but he could from her face she was thinking about the same things as the rest of them.

They walked in four separate directions to their classes, they almost missed the days where the complex issues were what they were doing and where Perry was, but there was no time to reminisce they had a big decision to make, and while it was a separate decision for all of them it was very much an unspoken group decision. The only thing they truly hoped for was that whatever the decision was, it didn't affect their strong friendships

* * *

><p><strong>(AN) I don't exactly know whether I want to have Phinabella (which is my favorite couple in the show) or Ferbella (which makes more sense in the story's current scheme). One thought I recently had was to mix up the characters so that each one liked someone who didn't like them back (makes the story last longer). I have no plan yet though so give it a couple of days and read whatever I post in the meantime, I try to post something every day. Review if you want with suggestions.**


	5. Not So Serendipitous

Chapter 5: Well that didn't work

Phineas was thinking. He had been talking with Gretchen a lot lately, and she was really great to talk to, but he didn't think he liked her in that way. She was a great friend though and he made a mental note to keep her included in future ideas. He knew she was a lot like Isabella but he felt she wasn't exactly his type. She wasn't Isabella. He had made his choice, he knew it was the right one, he just hoped everything would work out without anything going wrong

Ferb had been thinking about this whole situation, he was pretty sure he had failed the two tests he had after his free period. Probably his first two failing grades. He had all but convinced himself Isabella still liked Phineas. That combind with how scientific Gretchen's mind was was dragging his opinion toward liking her. He had always felt a little something, never very much but its not like he had ever seen her that often. He was fairly convinced he liked Gretchen, hopefully it would work out. He knew he should talk to Phineas about it

"So, did you make up your mind?" Ferb asked while they were getting ready for bed. Phineas looked at him and was about to answer yes with absolute certainty but then he remembered that technically his brother was dating her so he toned down his excitement

"Yea, I decided I still like Isabella." Phineas said hesitantly, awaiting his brother's response. Ferb gave him a quick nod of the head yes. It would have been meaningless to anyone else but Phineas knew that Ferb had decided he liked Gretchen. _Hmmm_ Phineas thought _That almost seemed a bit too easy_

* * *

><p>Isabella had been thinking about the problem. She knew she liked (still liked) Phineas but she also knew any girl in the school who spent so much as a day with him liked Phineas. She felt there was always a place in her heart that would belong solely to Phineas no matter what.. but Ferb had taken a different spot in her heart, he was different from Phineas with his own quirks but each one was something she loved about him. She decided to let Phineas go and stick with her current boyfriend. High school relationships were tricky enough without starting a brand new one when there is one that already works<p>

Gretchen thought on her decision but she really didn't have to. She had had a crush on Ferb but like most people she really didn't know him due to his lack of talking. She mainly knew him through his connection to Phineas. Gretchen remembered how Isabella used to describe Phineas as someone who was extremely easy to fall in love with and she was right. Gretchen enjoyed Phineas's company more than anyone else's . She knew she liked him and was over her crush on Ferb She decided to call Isabella and check her decision. Isabella had always liked Phineas so she wasn't sure what her decision would be but she didn't think any more into it because her phone rang and the caller ID said Isabella

"Hey Isabella, whats up?" Gretchen asked trying to ask like she didn't know what was up

"Well nothing much but I was wondering if you made a decision yet?"

"Umm yea I did, what about you?"

"I did too. Who did you decide on?" Isabella asked, neithher girl wanted to go first

"I like Phineas." Gretchen sighed in defeat

"Well I always said any girl who spent time with him would" Isabella said relieved Gretchen hadn't said Ferb

"So you still like Ferb? I can't believe that actually worked out" Gretchen said surprised

"Me too, all we have to do now is go to school and get this drama over with, I gotta go Gretch my mom wants me, I'll see you tomorrow."

"K bye." Gretchen hung up, _Hmm this high school drama isn't so bad, things seem like they are working out pretty well._

* * *

><p>All four went through school fairly happy this fiasco was almost over. They finally got to their free period and met up in the hallway. Phineas was looking at Isabella waiting for her to look at him, but she was looking at Ferb, who was looking at Gretchen, who was looking at Phineas. After a couple seconds they all looked at each other confused until they realized what had happened. Ferb and Phineas had been sure Gretchen and Isabella hadn't gotten over their original crushes yet and Gretchen and Isabella had thought that Ferb would still want to be with his girlfriend and Phineas would have gotten over his crush. After a good 15 minutes of nobody speaking they all felt absolutely terrible, the very friendships that had wanted to keep intact were definitely being stretched a little bit here.<p>

Ferb wasn't going to tell his girlfriend he didn't like her anymore, because he still did, he just hadn't expected her to like him back still. Phineas wasn't going to tell Isabella to break up with his brother for him because, well, that just wouldn't be right. Gretchen wanted more than anything to sneak away, find a book, and pretend none of this had happened but she found herself completely unable to move, she wasn't going to miss a second of this silence. Isabella would have been hysterically crying had she not still been shocked at how things turned out. She still liked both brothers, and she really wasn't going to _choose_ she had thought she was already dating Ferb so that he was the only fair choice (first come first serve, so to speak), but apparently that thought wasn't exactly correct.

They moved to a bench to sit but none of them had talked yet. 20 more minutes had passed leaving only 5 in the period. They were all friends and anything they said was going to hurt at least one of the four of them, their minds were all moving a mile a minute but not going anywhere. None of them could think of a single thing to say, not even Phineas. Phineas's mind actually thought it was a little funny, if he hadn't been oblivious before, or if he had remained oblivious after Ferb and Isabella started going out none of this would have happened. Of course he couldn't help but blame himself but he was hoping everyone would forgive him

"I'm sorry guys this is my fault, I should have just kept my big mouth shut" Isabella was about to contradict him but Ferb beat her to it

"Phineas one of the things I've always admired about you is that you always say the things that need to be said and that is exactly what you did here. Whether you said it when you did or if you didn't for a year it had to be said." Phineas didn't look like he was buying it but he did look a little better. Isabella and Gretchen were nodding slowly in agreement to Ferb's comment with their heads down. This wasn't nearly as serendipitous as they had thought it would be. The bell rang. They almost felt like sitting there for another period to think but cutting wasn't going to help them so they silently got up, looked at each other one last time, and walked to their next class.


	6. Murphy's Law

Chapter 6: Murphy's Law

All four of them had been lying in their respective beds, in their respective rooms staring at the ceiling thinking about the day. After their free period they had all been really quiet, even quieter than Ferb. Except for Ferb who throughout the day could be heard mumbling Isabella's and Gretchen's names as well as some people who heard the words 'crush' 'girlfriend' 'screwed up' as well sighing and some choice words nobody ever thought they would hear Ferb Fletcher say. Phineas who was lying in his bed knew he had to talk to Ferb. While he still felt at fault for the whole ordeal he knew his brother wouldn't be mad at him. Especially considering his brother knew about and had approved of Phineas liking Isabella.

"So.. who woulda guessed Gretchen would drop her crush on you and Isabella would drop her crush on me." Ferb jumped a little, he wasn't being as observant as usual due to all that was on his mind.

"Yea I had really thought our choices would match theirs perfectly. But in retrospect I suppose they thought the same about their decisions."

"I know yesterday you decided you liked Gretchen, but in light of what has happened I was wondering if you were planning on revoking that decision."

"But what about Gretchen, I highly doubt you will truly like her like you do Isabella. You think she should be left with nobody?"

"Of course not Ferb, but Isabella _is_ your girlfriend and Gretchen did have nobody at the beginning of all this" Phineas retorted almost annoyed his brother thought he was okay with the fact that somebody wasn't going to be happy in the end

"But at the beginning of this we didn't know she had liked either of us"

"So? Half the girls at our school like us." Ferb gave him a sharp glare. He was rather chatty as a result of all the emotions being built up by this but a glare still sent more information than words ever would. This glare communicated that Ferb liked Gretchen more than half the girls at school and refused for her to be treated like all the other girls. "So does that mean you still like Gretchen?" Phineas's voice wasn't hopeful. He knew getting dumped would break Isabella's heart (which would, in turn, break his), and he wouldn't want to catch her on the rebound because that was something doomed to failure. He did know however that she was dating Ferb at the moment which put any chance he had of dating her at 0, and anything was in that sense better. Ferb was still confused as to his decision so Phineas decided to continue.

"Either you and Isabella stay together, and Gretchen and I are upset unless or until I get over my crush on Isabella _or_ you and Isabella break up and you and Gretchen will be happy and me and Isabella are upset."

"What makes you think Gretchen would go out with me? She likes you."

"She liked you first, besides I don't think her crush on either of us was ever very strong considering, as far as we know, hers was the most recent to form."

"It occurs to me Phineas that in both your scenarios I am happy and you are not. The reason for this is you never thought about whether or not Isabella would change her mind. Its just as much her decision about us dating as mine. The other scenarios are Isabella chooses you and I choose her or Isabella chooses you and I choose Gretchen. And all those choices are assuming that Gretchen doesn't even have an opinion."

"So what you're saying is, we're back exactly where we were, except everything is much more confusing now." Ferb nodded and Phineas sighed. "Turn on your computer I'm gonna text them so we can all video chat and talk this out. We could make the decisions individually a million times and not get a solution. We're gonna have to actually talk this out and figure out how we feel.

All four of them we on screen. They all looked like a bit of a wreck because it was almost midnight but it was Friday so they didn't have to worry about getting up for school anyway. Phineas decided to talk first. As he usually did.

"So me and Ferb have naturally been talking about this and I'm sorry Gretchen but I know that I like Isabella more than you. You're both absolutely amazing but I just don't feel the same way.."

"I understand Phineas, stop blabbing and continue" Phineas smiled a bit

"Well Ferb is a bit on the fence about his decision, while naturally likes Isabella he had put a lot of thought into liking Gretchen as a result of the fact that he didn't think Isabella would get over her crush on me. Sooooo.. since I don't like Gretchen in that way we sorta assumed she would be able to revive her crush on Ferb if necessary considering her crush is the most recent to form of the group" Gretchen nodded, she could tell Phineas wasn't happy he had been thinking that way but his logic was more than reasonable. And she did like logic. "Sooo... I considered that what Ferb was waiting on for his final decision was whether or not Isabella had a final decision, and what it was" Everyone turned to look at Isabella. Not that they had to turn much since they were video chatting but still, it was obvious all eyes were on her

Isabella opened her mouth to speak when all of a sudden the four parts of the screens read "Connection Failure". The four kids looked around their rooms wondering what would happen but they all found a clock that was plugged in, but the time was off. Blackout. Murphy's Law at work "Anything that can go wrong, will" or "If something can go wrong it will do it in the worst possible way or at the least opportune time"

* * *

><p><em>Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorperated<em>

"Ohhhh the red and black wires _**AREN'T**_ supposed to touch. Dummkopf" Doofenshmirtz said hitting his head


	7. One More Shot

Chapter 7: One More Shot

Phineas turned off his laptop. It was pretty useless without Internet. He lied down on his bed. _If we had finished that cold fusion reactor we wouldn't have this problem_. Phineas wondered what Isabella was going to say before the power went out. He was sure he could handle rejection but not knowing. This would drive him insane. He decided to talk to Ferb. He would rather have talked to Isabella but he resisted that urge. It was the middle of the night after all.

"So Ferb... this sucks." Ferb nodded yes "I know this will be the third time I've asked this in one way or another but when Isabella was answering, what answer were you hoping for her to say, you or me?" Ferb thought on it. He knew he had been anxious and hoping for an answer. He just honestly didn't know which one it had been. Phineas noticed his brother's concentration and decided to break it for him. He sat down in Ferb's computer chair.

"The fact that you're even considering not dating Isabella when you two were already dating proves that you are absolutely insane." Normally Phineas would have said something like this in a joking matter but this time he almost spat the words at him. Who did Ferb think he was? To have the most amazing girl and have the audacity to think he could do better. Ferb looked at his brother shocked. It was dark but Phineas could see the surprise on Ferb's face. Phineas had never talked to anyone, much less Ferb, with anything less than kindness.

"I'm sorry Ferb it just that I like her and here you are with her liking you and.. and you're actually thinking about this like.. like its actually a valid decision!" Phineas was relieved to get some of those feelings out, Ferb put a hand on his shoulder. He had known Phineas had a crush on Isabella for a while but he never thought he felt that strongly about her. The only time Ferb had ever seen someone feel that strongly about someone else was back when Isabella liked Phineas. He had to talk to his girlfriend one-on-one. He told Phineas to get some sleep and snuck out to run across the street.

"Ferb! What are you.. How are you.. Come on in" Isabella said letting Ferb in through her window "Did you need to hear my response that much you had to come over here in the middle of the night, I thought you were being indecisive?" It hurt a little the way she said it but Ferb shook it off

"Well no but I'm pretty sure Phineas needs to whatever it may be."

"And why is that?" Isabella said still a little annoyed with her boyfriend."

"Well we were talking after the power went out and he basically told me off for even thinking about not choosing you."

"But I thought he still liked me? Why would he want you to date me?" Isabella was genuinely confused. Not just about Phineas's actions but her feelings towards them. Was he over his crush? Was Isabella happy he was?

"He does, which is precisely why he told me off." Ferb said completely understanding to her confusion

"He knows I had chosen you at school today.. so he thinks you should stay with me to keep me happy. But what about Phineas? It doesn't seem like that would make him very happy." Ferb gave her a stare, it didn't have any special look that could be used to describe it, but one look and Isabella realized Phineas cared for her happiness more than his own. _Crap_ she thought _I have an amazing boyfriend who has a brother with whom he can to anything. And now I actually have to choose between the two._ Isabella had thought before that choosing her current boyfriend was the only logical choice. Which at the time it was. But now she really had to make a choice. She knew Phineas had made a choice. And she knew her best friend well enough to know that she did indeed like Ferb. Gretchen had always molded her life around Isabella's which was probably why she dropped her crush on Ferb. But it was still there. Probably for the best considering Phineas's decision. Looking at her boyfriend's contented face she could tell he had made a decision, though she couldn't tell who. And she didn't want to. This decision had to be made on her own free from his or any of the others' influence. Ferb sensed this and excused himself and left. Isabella laid down on her bed. She wasn't going to get a single wink of sleep tonight. She had a lot to think about.

Phineas sat on his bed thinking, he too had come to the realization everything was beginning to rest on Isabella's decision. He realized she must have been under a lot of pressure but 'the heart wants what the heart wants' he supposed. Nobody could really be blamed for how things turned out now.

Gretchen was in bed. She wasn't sure but she thought she had felt relieved when Phineas said he didn't like her. He was nice but he still wasn't Ferb. She knew her chances at being with Ferb didn't improve when Phineas said he didn't like her, but at least it would save them the trouble of a relationship they really weren't in to.

Ferb was lying awake. He had absolutely no idea whether his girlfriend still wanted to go out with him. Either way he knew Phineas and Gretchen had made their true decisions. He knew he had too truthfully. He was pretty sure they only had one more shot to get this right before serious damage was done to all their mental well beings. Phineas was half a wreck already. _Lets just hope mine and Isabella's decisions work out together. We're the last two to decide._

* * *

><p>(AN I don't really like how this story is turning out. I believe just one more chapter is in order. There's a poll on my profile to vote for Ferbella or Phinabella. Votes will be considered but the final decision is mine. If you still like this story thank you, if you don't its almost over so don't worry.)


	8. Happy Ending

Chapter 8: Ferbella

Isabella didn't get any sleep. She had a big decision to make. Well it was less a decision and more forming an opinion. She had to really search herself to find who she liked more. She also had to continuously disregard what would happen depending on who she chose. She knew that if her feelings were molded by her friends personal feelings she could make the wrong decision. She had loved Phineas for years and Ferb for months. She hadn't really talked to Phineas for awhile before all of this broke out but she assumed he didn't want to do something he'd regret to his brother's relationship with her. And Ferb. He was an amazing listener and extremely observant. She could vent to him or just enjoy his company. He was amazing at romance and always knew how to make Isabella happy. But Phineas had always made her happy. Come to think of it Isabella was almost surprised she had all but never noticed Ferb before given how much she liked him now. She had only ever noticed Phineas, but she felt it was only because Ferb was quiet. He was always there for her when even Phineas wasn't and he always did what had to be done. He understood her and she felt she understood him. She had loved every last thing about Phineas but now, having dated Ferb, loved everything about him. His quietness, determination, his quick thinking, and the way he showed her he loved her. Phineas had his way of showing he cared for someone but it was no different than how he would treat anyone. Ferb was usually quiet but when he talked the things that came out of his mouth were amazing. Every second he spent speaking would require even the best of people hours to come up with. The same could be said of Phineas technically but that's because even the best of people can't think out that many words that quickly. Isabella knew Ferb had taken the time to understand her before asking her out while Phineas was having a case of 'don't no what you got until its gone' syndrome. Isabella loved everything about Ferb, she loved Ferb. Now only for the hard part, telling Phineas.

Ferb had to think after going to Isabella's. He had wanted to tell her who he chose right then but he didn't want to influence her decision. If she decided she loved Phineas then she could do that. Both him and Phineas only wanted Isabella's happiness so it was up to Isabella to decide who she wanted to be happy with. Ferb thought about telling Phineas but then he wondered what would happen if Isabella wanted Phineas. He knew Phineas would feel absolutely terrible. Plus for the next couple of days they would be hoping for exactly what the other was hoping against. All that was left was the waiting game.

After a weekend in which there was no power and the four hadn't had a group discussion they made it to school on Monday. They found themselves fly through their morning classes with relative concentration. There was nothing left to distract them now unless they tried to guess what was going to happen. Phineas and Isabella found them selves walking from the same direction to the bench where Ferb and Gretchen were. They were randomly talking about anything and everything but what was about to happen. Phineas was watching Isabella when she walked up to the bench. He did a quick look from her to his brother and stepped out of their way. It was a bit depressing but from the looks on their faces Phineas was sure that they were sure they had made the right decisions.

Ferb walked up to Isabella. He didn't know quite how to greet her. They had been dating but it almost felt like they were starting again. While he stood there confused Isabella wrapped him up in a nice bug hug. His brother was right. He shouldn't have had to think about it. This was what he wanted. It was what he wanted all along.

Phineas and Gretchen watched their crushes get back together in front of them. They had a combination of happiness for their best friend finding someone who made them happy and sadness that their crush had found someone who made them happy.

"Well everything worked out okay I suppose." Phineas said breaking the silence

"I suppose it did" Isabella said relieved Phineas was even able to say so.

"So what do we do now?" Gretchen asked for once not knowing the answer to something. Ferb took out a small notepad

"Well there's locating Frankenstein's brain.." he turned some pages "And finding out where Perry goes to everyday." Phineas's head shot up at this.

"Well that sounds interesting. Hey Ferb I know what we're going to do tomorrow!"

(A/N Hate the Ferbella ending? Too bad. I did write a Phinbella ending but I felt this was better. Maybe I'll post the alternate ending later. I'm glad its over. Thanks for bearing with it this whole time.)


	9. Happy Ending Redux Phinabella

Chapter 8: Phinabella

Isabella didn't get any sleep. She had a big decision to make. Well it was less a decision and more forming an opinion. She had to really search herself to find who she liked more. She also had to continuously disregard what would happen depending on who she chose. She knew that if her feelings were molded by her friends personal feelings she could make the wrong decision. She had loved Phineas for years and Ferb for months. She hadn't really talked to Phineas for awhile before all of this broke out but she assumed he didn't want to do something he'd regret to his brother's relationship with her. And Ferb. He was an amazing listener and extremely observant. She could vent to him or just enjoy his company. He was amazing at romance and always knew how to make Isabella happy. But Phineas had always made her happy. Come to think of it Isabella was almost surprised she had all but never noticed Ferb before given how much she liked him now. She had only ever noticed Phineas, but she knew it wasn't because he did all the talking.

Phineas always tried to make her happy. When she was feeling sad, or even if she just wasn't happy, Phineas would go out of his way to make her happy. He would do whatever it was Isabella wanted, just because she wanted him too. She knew he had always loved her, he just showed it by being exactly who he was. And she knew she had always loved him, and that she always would. She knew who she loved. Ferb was amazing and a great boyfriend but she loved Phineas all the more for the way he showed his love. It wasn't the romantic display she had always wanted but she knew now all she ever really wanted was to be with Phineas. She could have gone to any boy in school and gotten a romantic display, but she had kept going to Phineas's house because she loved him exactly as he was, with or without him being romantic.

Ferb had gone home after Isabella's house with an answer in mind. He liked her, otherwise he wouldn't have asked her out in the first place, but he didn't love her that way. He didn't exactly know if he loved Gretchen that way but they defiantly seemed more compatible than him and Isabella. Plus there was no point continuing a relationship if it doesn't have the needed feeling to back it up. Ferb had been lucky to date Isabella in the first place, she had turned down about half the school waiting for Phineas so Ferb asked and since he was the only person she knew as well as Phineas she was able to yes "as friends". He could tell she was thinking about that last part throughout the dance until she finally decided he was just like his brother. She was the most amazing girl Ferb knew and she was beginning to like him. He was really happy at the time but even then he probably knew the spark wasn't fully there. She was great and he loved her but somehow he didn't. He loved her, he just wasn't truly in love with her. He wasn't sure about Gretchen still, she was only the third girl Ferb really wanted to date, but it was worth a try. He was sure if they found it wasn't meant to be later that it would work out that they could remain friends. Besides Ferb could use someone with his brains to have some good back and forth conversations with. Even if he didn't verbally respond he was sure she would say things that needed a response.

Sunday nobody really talked to each other, the power had still been out but the real reason was just the uncertainty in it all. Nobody was really sure what would happen when they all got together. It was still a possibility half of them weren't happy. Ferb wasn't going to tell Phineas he didn't like Isabella that way. It seemed like it needed all four of them like Phineas had stated earlier. They would wait for school. The worst case was nobody dated and they all became/stayed single. They were sure if they were still all friends at this point they could survive anything

Amazingly at school they were extremely focused for their morning classes. They had their priorities straitened out and their feelings in check. They knew would they liked and nothing could change that. If the person they liked liked them back they could go out, if they didn't, they wouldn't. They knew it had never been that simple but at its basic level it was. The day flew straight to their free period in no time flat. Phineas and Gretchen were waiting by the bench talking and guessing about what was about to happen. Ferb and Isabella ended up arriving at the same time from the same direction, but there was much less talking between them. They walked up to Phineas and Gretchen, and took one look at each other. Not only had Isabella learned to read Ferb's eyes without talking but he had learned to read hers. They smiled and turned back to the other two. Isabella immediately enveloped Phineas in a hug which, after gaining his balance, he returned. Ferb looked at Gretchen kind of nervously. He was more romantic than Phineas had ever been but he wasn't much of a hugger, especially since he really didn't know how much he liked Gretchen. She picked up on his nervousness and offered a hand for him to shake. _Ahh screw it_ he though pushing the hand away and lifting her up in a hug. Like he was going to be outdone by Isabella and Phineas who were now laughing at his change of heart. They looked at each other Phineas with his hand in Isabella's, Ferb with his in Gretchen's, this felt right. They didn't know yet if they were doing the right thing. But in retrospect you never do until your looking at it in retrospect.

The next months of school flew by. Phineas's spark for inventing was re-lit and he even made school a place to have fun. All four found it funny the way things had worked out. It wasn't the conventional way for people to get together for sure but effective none the less. They found someone they were happy with no matter what and perhaps that was all they had been looking for anyway. Isabella had the thing she lived for next to her every day and Ferb had become more conversational than he had since he met Phineas. They often wondered what would have happened had anything been different during the week they had all gotten together. But they never dwelled on it. They always made sure to keep moving forward to seize another day with the person they loved.


End file.
